Laurent, how did your passion for the Tro Bro Léon come about?
"I discovered this event during my first season in the professional peloton. I was a breakaway, and the fans lining the road and the hills pushed and pushed. Afterwards, my wife was transferred to the Tro Bro Léon region. In a way, I had become “the local of the event”. The Tro Bro Léon became a special race for me, and I quickly became attached to the event, which for me symbolizes Brittany, rough, beautiful and wild. I had this race in mind when I was a winter racer, and I did a lot of reconnaissance. It was in me. I've always been a regular on this event, without ever having had the chance to win it. But I was always motivated at the start. I wanted to be there, at home, in my Tro Bro Léon “garden”."
What's your best memory of the race?
"Paradoxically, it's also the worst. In 2022, I was coming off a great Paris-Roubaix. I was in great shape. I thought it was going to be my year. At the start, during the presentation, there were so many people that it gave me the shivers. I had a plan of attack in my head. I wanted to go on the offensive in the farm sector, and then I got up and felt that I'd had a flat tire on my front wheel. All my dreams were suddenly gone. I was still happy collectively at the finish because a teammate had won the race, but for me it was hard individually. And then, when I went up on the podium to receive the award for “1st Breton” of the race, the public gave me a standing ovation. So, on the one hand, I was sad to have come so close to my heart's race, but on the other, I was proud to see all those people who had experienced the same emotions as me. I was happy to have brought them that little piece of happiness for the Breton fans. It was both my best and my worst memory."
Que représenterait une victoire en qualité de directeur-sportif ?
"I won two races last year by runners, and the adrenalin I felt and the emotions that came up each time were enormous. Like the racers, I'm now in this business to win and perform. This year, I'm going to pass on to them all my knowledge of the race. I know every route by heart, every rib, where and how to position myself. I'm going to guide them strategically, and then it's up to them to race according to the plan. I'm also going to tell them about my attachment to the Tro Bro Léon, tell them about this race with the passion that drives me, and pass it on to them. Because loving a race is already a long way, if I can put it that way, towards performance. We'll be at home, on our Breton soil, and on that of our title partners, ARKEA and B&B HOTELS, and we want to shine and do our very best. We have a great team with Kévin Vauquelin, Arnaud Démare, Clément Venturini, Jenthe Biermans, Amaury Capiot and Florian Senechal."
